ECC Ordination Service, June 24, 2007

Ordinands receive a stole to remind them that they are taking on the yoke of Christ. The service is a formal affair, with everyone robed.

"... for most evangelicals, all theology is autobiography." -- Mark Gordon, 9/19/03

Recently I have begun wondering if this remark isn't true, but mercifully the Covenant Ordination Service on Sunday morning, June 24, put my mind to rest. Phil Stenberg preached a powerful, scriptural sermon that set the bar for excellence. No sound bytes, no formulas, no soft-sell, no visuals, no guilt for not being a megachurch multiplying itself faster than a flu virus. Phil just preached the pericope, Luke 8:26-38, reminding us of the truth that Jesus Christ has power over sin, death and demons, and calling us to let Him deliver us from our Legions, and to go back home to tell everyone what Jesus has done for us. Read a digest of the sermon here

And what a blessing Dave Kersten is to the Covenant! He is Executive Director of the Department of Ministry, and understands the importance of Word and Sacrament in our life together.

1) Word: Dave let us have language to worship with. We sang some really meaty hymns and recited the Te Deum and the Apostle's Creed. (It always gives me shivers to hear that many people confessing Christ together in language that Christians have shared for centuries.)

2) Sacrament: I really appreciated the opportunity for us all to renew our baptismal vows, before the new ordinands made their vows, as it underscored the new life we all share in Christ.They used to do this on Easter at Sacred Heart, when we were at Notre Dame. No doubt some folks must have found it too "popish" but I was not one of them.

Call me a curmudgeon, but seeing those new ministers kneel, and receive the laying on of hands moves me in a way that newer attempts at ritual cannot, precisely because it is an act of the church, uniting us throughout space and time with the apostles and the Lord Himself. It is not something someone dreamed up to reinforce a lesson or create a spiritual "high" for worship. There is nothing fresh, novel or creative about this practice to distract or amuse us. In a world where each person is his/her own sovereign, we were reminded that in the Church, Christ is King, and He calls and gifts particular men and women to serve Him as ministers of His word and sacraments.

Of course there are many Christians who challenge the very notion of sacrament and/or hold their own experience with God to be normative. Those are the folks Mark Gordon has pegged: their theology is simply their autobiography. But as Dave and Phil reminded us, we are formed spiritually not only by our experiences, but by scripture, tradition, and reason. May God bless these men and women who have heard His call, obediently prepared themselves, and now go on to faithfully live out that calling among His people.